(219b) Nuclear Energy for Industrial Applications: Technical and Economic Potential

Nuclear energy has only been utilized to generate electricity for powering regional grids. In addition to providing electricity, nuclear power plants can provide heat and steam at temperatures up to 650^oC as well as hydrogen for industrial applications. Thus, nuclear energy can be a versatile and multifaceted source of energy for various industrial applications with low environmental footprint.

This presentation provides an insight into opportunities for using nuclear energy in the form of steam, electricity, and hydrogen for energy-intensive industries like petroleum refineries, pulp and paper industries, chemicals (ammonia), metal refining (iron/steel) and cement. For each of these industries, we analyze the business-as-usual processes and identify opportunities in incorporating nuclear energy. Industries such as metal refining (iron/steel) and cement are assumed to transition to the state-of-the-art low GHG intensity processes. We estimate the nuclear energy potential (NEP) which is the capacity of nuclear energy systems required to meet the energy demands for these industries at both facility level and regional level. Thus, NEP can provide unique insights into leveraging the capacities of existing nuclear power plants and informing the opportunities for synergetic deployment of future modular and advanced nuclear energy systems. We also provide the cost-benefit analysis which incorporates technoeconomic analysis (TEA) and lifecycle analysis (LCA) to evaluate the value proposition of using nuclear energy in various applications.